1. Field
One or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods and apparatuses generating color and depth images.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a method of obtaining a depth image of a subject, a time of flight (ToF) method may be used where the depth image is based on the time from which an infrared ray (IR) is emitted toward a subject and the reflection of the emitted IR returns. A depth image, obtained by using the ToF method, may be obtained by determining a phase difference between an emitted IR signal, obtained by emitting an IR toward a subject, and a reflection of the emitted IR signal, reflected from the subject and returns, for example. A ToF depth camera employing such a method may obtain a depth of a subject in real time with respect to all pixels, for example, compared to other conventional cameras (for example, a stereo camera, or the like) for obtaining a depth image of a subject. Another method of obtaining a depth image includes using a structured light camera, which acquires depth information of a subject by emitting a particular IR pattern toward the subject and then performing triangulation, for example, comparing the reflected pattern features with a reference image.
Generally, in order to generate a three-dimensional (3D) image of a subject, a color image of the subject, as well as a depth image of the subject, may be necessary. A color image and a depth image may be obtained by mounting a color camera near a depth camera, e.g., a ToF depth camera. If both the ToF depth camera and the color camera are used, the size of the image generation system becomes large. Additionally, since viewpoints of the ToF depth camera and the color camera differ, i.e., because they respectively observe the subject from different positions, a process of additionally matching the generated color and depth images may typically be required.
Recently, research has been conducted into a method of generating a color image and a depth image by using the same sensor, which may alleviate the matching requirement of other conventional systems. Here, generally, a first incident light passes through a visible pass filter for generating a color image and a second incident light passes a separate infrared pass filter for generating a depth image. Accordingly, in order to generate a color image and a depth image by using the same sensor, light must proceed first through the visible pass filter and the separate infrared pass filter.